When I think of a leader I cannot help but think of people such as famous politicians and individuals who inspired or revolutionized a group of people. However, as I was in the kitchen making dinner with my honey, I pondered at the thought of leadership in relationships. I looked around and realized we both have our designated roles but can also admit that we are both leaders in our relationship in unique ways. In addition, I thought about our lesson on leadership traits and the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality. The Five Factor Model of Personality distinguishes 5 dimensions of personality, including; conscientiousness (dependability), agreeableness, neuroticism (emotional stability/adjustment), openness to experience (intellectance) and extraversion (surgency). After performing an online search of traits needed in order to be a successful partner in a relationship I found the following traits to be most important: maturity, openness, honesty and integrity, empathy, and affection. Refer to http://www.eharmony.com/dating-advice/dating/seven-qualities-of-an-ideal-partner/#.VvQqoWQrK1s for additional information.
Below I will illustrate how the Five Factor Model of Personality relates to an individual’s success as a leader just as it illustrates an individual’s success in a relationship.
- When high in conscientiousness or dependability, individuals are planful, hardworking and follow through with their commitments. In addition, individuals high in conscientiousness rarely get in trouble. Dependability is a major factor in a relationship and both partners must stick to their commitments and contribute equal work to the success of their relationship.
- Those that are high in agreeableness are “empathetic, friendly, and optimistic” (World Campus, 2016). In addition, agreeableness is important in relationships because teamwork and cooperation are the vital in group functioning. According to Nauraine (2010), relationships, especially marriage, require team work. Teamwork is required in relationships for many reasons but becomes most apparent when individuals are trying to resolve conflict. Individuals that are high in agreeableness show success as a leader because they are able to discuss issues and goals with the group and accept input and feedback from others.
- Neuroticism or emotional stability/adjustment refers to those who remain calm and also those who do not take mistakes or failures personally. As a leader, scoring high in emotional stability are able to help a group through difficult issues and can remain calm under pressure (World Campus, 2016). As a partner in a relationship, it is important to remain clam and be able to discuss issues and situations with your partner in a calm manner. Those who are unable to do so are likely to have longer lasting and more intense arguments with their partner.
- Openness to Experience or Intellectance is high in individuals who are curious and seek out new experiences. Having a higher than average openness to experience score is common amongst leaders. According to McCrae and Sutin (2009), openness to experiences shapes many aspects of relationships including; marriage and parenting.
- Extroversion (surgency) relates to individuals who are outgoing, self-confident and competitive. As a leader, scoring high in extraversion affects their ability to successfully influence a group (World Campus, 2016). In a relationship, scoring high in extroversion reflects an individual’s sense of trust as extroversion is related to self-confidence. See this article on Eharmony.com related to how extraversion traits influence the success of one’s relationship.
http://www.eharmony.com/dating-advice/dating/science-of-extraversion/#.Vvp2fmQrI1g
In all, it is important to recognize the many aspects of leadership and how leadership can be applied in a variety of settings and situations. An individual leading a group has similar characteristics to an individual leading a successful relationship. Please look at the chart below and compare low vs. high scores of the big five characteristics and how they would fit into a relationship. For example, do you think one with a higher or lower score for extroversion would benefit in a relationship?
References
McCrae, R. R., & Sutin, A. R. (2009). Openness to Experience. In M. R. Leary and R. H. Hoyle (Eds.), Handbook of Individual Differences in Social Behavior (pp. 257-273). New York: Guilford.
Nauraine, J. (2010). Chicago Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist, Johanna Nauraine. Retrieved March 29, 2016, from http://www.therapistinchicago.com/Chicago-licensed-psychotherapist-about-me.html
Pennsylvania State University (2016). Leadership in Work Settings—PSYCH 485. Online course lesson. Penn State World Campus. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved January 21,2016from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/002/content/02_lesson/06_page.htm l
Robert James Guthrie says
Enjoyed reading your blog post. I too am in the turfgrass industry and having the experience of working for several different managers in the past. Looking back it was easy for me to see which styles work the best in the past. I agree with your statement that there needs to be a balance between task and relationship behaviors for a leader to bet effective. If a managers leans to far in one direction, they with either have an unhappy staff or not able to accomplish their goals on time. It is important to find a happy median, where a manager can effectively accomplish company goals while maintaining and retaining a happy staff.
Looking specifically at the Blake and Mouton Leadership Grid (Northouse, 2016, Page 75), which management styles would you suggest to be the best fit for you situation? Thinking back at previous work situations I believe that both Team Management and Middle of the Road Management would fit the best in a golf course management scenario. Lets face it, todays world is result driven. There are high expectations associated with most industries and managers are expected to produce. This would put todays leaders in a very task driven mindset, however in order to keep a effective staff on your side, employees relationships need to be built for staff retention. This is why I agree with your point of a balance in style leadership. An effective leader needs to keep both task and relationship behaviors in mind all the time. Team management is a style in which “ a strong emphasis on placed on both tasks and interpersonal relationships” (Northouse, 2016, Page 76). In my mind this is the best approach because it holds both factors in such a high regard. Middle of the Road Management is a style that “ describes leaders who are compromisers, who have an intermediate concern for the task and people who do the task” (Northouse, 2016, Page 76). I believe that middle of the road management would be the second best option, as it still creates a balance between task and relationship behaviors. There is no right answer when considering the style approach, it depends on the situation and the type of leadership needed to accomplish the overall goals.
References:
Northouse, Peter G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and Practice, 7th Edition. Chapter 4.
Pennsylvania State University (2016) Psych 485: Leadership in work settings. Lesson 5 Part 1.